REEF: Get ready. SAM GET-UP

Hey NEVILLE,

It’s been a huge week for the Great Barrier Reef, and things are only going to get bigger. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has ramped up his attack on the Reef and called a State election, but the GetUp movement and its hundreds of thousands of members are gearing up like never before to protect the Reef, take on the Federal government in court and influence the election in bold and exciting ways.

Before we get to that, here are the five things you need to know to bring you up to speed:

1: Our legal fighting fund was a success.

Last year, an incredible 17,500 of us chipped in to fund historic legal challenges to stop dredging and dumping in Reef waters at Abbot Point. We worked with EDO Queensland, Mackay Conservation Group and North Queensland Conservation Council. Together, we sent a shiver down the spine of the mining industry.

The cases were so potent the Government abandoned the proposal and devised a new plan to develop Abbot Point. The two court cases are not officially over, but are paused while the new plan is considered.

2: The new plan is just as bad, if not worse.

The Government’s new plan still involves dredging in the World Heritage Area, it still means hundreds of ships passing through Reef waters and it still means trusting dodgy Indian coal giant Adani with a huge coal port.

Only now it involves dumping millions of tonnes of dredge spoil onto a crucial Reef wetland next to a turtle habitat. To make things worse, Environment Minister Greg Hunt has opted to not even conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement. Premier Newman’s own report showed the new plans to be the ‘worst possible’ environmental option.¹

3: But we’ve got a plan.

Because the Government abandoned its original dredging and dumping plans, there was no need to finish the court cases. This means there are some funds left over from our original contributions.

We’re using that left-over money to fund a new case! The new case will try and get an injunction to stop the Government from unlawfully assessing the new plans. The lawyers are EDO Queensland, the same brilliant lawyers from the original cases. This time we’re supporting a new litigant – Alliance to Save Hinchinbrook!

They will be arguing Minister Hunt cannot lawfully give the approval using this fast-tracked assessment process.

4: We’re helping take them to court again…and if needed, again!

If things don’t go to plan and the Government approves these awful new dredging and dumping plans, we’ll be ready.

The Government is trying to jam the massive project by cutting corners in the approvals process. That means there are likely to be a number of breaches of law that we can challenge them on. Lawyers will be keeping a close eye on proceedings, and if there are any breaches of law, then let’s take this thing to court all over again.

5: There’s an election in three weeks.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has called a snap election for January 31st. This is the same Premier who not only supports Adani’s plans for Abbot Point, he wants to sell off public infrastructure to pay for it!

If you’re in Queensland, please don’t forget to enrol and update your details before 5pm this Saturday. We’ve built a handy Facebook app to help you contact your friends and family who are most likely to need to enrol for the first time. You can spread the word here: http://www.getup.org.au/enrol

You can also tweet to let politicians know that this election you’ll be voting for the Reef.

What we’ve done together in the last year is extraordinary. When we launched our first Legal Fighting Fund, we changed the political landscape forever. No longer could companies and Governments do what they want to our environment and expect to get away with it.

Now, if it comes to it, we’re ready to do it all over again. Be ready.

Sam R, Paul and Adam, for the GetUp Team

PS – Please forward this e-mail to anyone who you think might need to enrol and update their details for the Queensland election. Every vote against Premier Newman is a vote for our Reef.

[1] Abbot Point dredge spoil dump site ‘worst possible’ for environment, documents show. ABC. 24 December, 2014.